Fluorinated cationic compounds such as perfluoroalkyl quaternary ammonium derivatives are known in art, which have a saturated perfluoroalkyl terminal chain. For example, fluorinated cationic compounds disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,958 contain such a perfluoroalkyl terminal chain group having up to 18 carbon atoms. Commercially available fluorinated pyridinium cationic surfactants usually contain a saturated perfluoroalkyl terminal chain of at least 8 or more carbons. One skilled in the art expects that a shorter perfluoroalkyl chain, or one interrupted with a non-fluorinated atom, would have decreased performance because the individual perfluoroalkyl chains are not maintained in a parallel configuration.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide fluorinated surfactants having interrupted fluorinated chains while still providing equivalent or even better surface properties compared to those fluorinated surfactants which contain longer uninterrupted fully fluorinated perfluorinated chains.
It has been discovered in this invention that a fluorinated pyridinium cationic surfactant having a fluorinated terminal chain interrupted by oxygen provides desirable surface effects in a variety of applications and is particularly useful in oil field and gas field applications.